Vehicles dressed with the ram-horn badge of Dodge from Chrysler tip toward the sporty side of automotive action and tote powerful engines. Leading this pack is the Viper SRT-10 roadster with a big-block V10, but a new sports tourer called Magnum packing a Hemi V8 follows it closely.

Excessively long at the prow and slinky low for a two-seat cockpit and raucous ten-cylinder engine exerting overwhelming muscle from a herd of horses, the SRT-10 Viper roadster from Dodge is America's most powerful sports car. It delivers 500 hp with 500 lb.-ft. of torque and more than 500 cubic inches in engine displacement. All of the torque, directed to Viper's 19-inch rear wheels, enables the roadster to romp from zero to 60 mph in less than four seconds, with its max running speed climbing to the racing zone of 190 mph. A heavy-duty six-speed manual transmission is standard, along with aluminum components for the four-wheel independent suspension plus huge Brembo disc brakes tied to four-wheel ABS. For 2005 models, Viper scores two new body tints -- Viper Race Yellow and Copperhead Orange.

Think of Dodge's SRT-4 performance sedan as a factory-sanctioned and affordable route into the world of street racers customized from compact-class front-wheel-drive (FWD) sedans. Aggressive styling at the prow reflects cues of street performance machines with a deep fascia etched with multiple air intake ports and cross-hair grille plus a horizontal port carved into the shapely hood. At the tail a tall basket-handle spoiler flies off the deck and works at speed to exert force on rear wheels and pin them to the pavement.

The cockpit has the look of a customized car as front wrap-around seats contain reinforcements in lateral and lumbar segments to support the torso when this car runs through a wiggly chute. Gauges with silver rims reflect easy-to-read silver faces, and the metal theme continues in the foot well on pedals made of cast aluminum with dimple surfaces. Driving the SRT-4 is a turbo-charger and aluminum inter-cooler attached to a dual-cam 2.4-liter four-in-line engine rated up to 230 hp with a heavy-duty five-speed manual shifter. New options include a Kicker/SRT Livin' Loud audio system with six-disc CD changer. The hot new SRT body color is called Orange Blast.

Dodge's compact-size sedan for 2005 comes in two versions -- a base SE edition and the value-packaged SXT. Both draw on a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine worth 132 hp. The entry issue gets 14-inch wheel covers, bright highlights on the front grille and an audio kit with cassette deck and four speakers. Neon SXT adds air conditioning, power to drive mirrors and windows, a CD player and six speakers, remote keyless entry device and 15-inch aluminum wheels clad with all-season touring tires.

Options for the SXT include a six-disc CD changer, 15-inch aluminum wheels, a four-speed automatic transaxle and four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock brake system (ABS). Also, the new SRT Design package brings styling cues derived from the SRT-4 with a bulging hood up front and fog lamps in the front fascia, plus twin exhaust pipes and a spoiler at the tail.

Dodge Stratus Coupe

Muscular lines mark the mid-size coupe by Dodge, which presents a gracefully arching profile but a cross-hair grille on the prow patterned after the racy Viper roadster. Engines define the personality of the Stratus coupe. A 2.4-liter in-line-four plant for Stratus SXT makes 147 hp with a manual five-speed shifter or 142 hp with an optional automatic four-speed transaxle. More muscle comes from the Stratus R/T with the 3.0-liter V6 dispensing 200 hp and keyed to a five-speed manual or the four-speed automatic with AutoStick. Standard equipment for SXT extends to air conditioning and power controls for windows and mirrors, plus a six-speaker stereo with four-disc CD changer. Stratus R/T has premium features like a leather-wrapped steering wheel, radio controls mounted on the steering wheel, seven Infinity audio speakers, fog lamps and four-wheel disc brakes.

The Stratus as a four-door sedan stretches long and wide over a taut package with fluid lines patterned after the coupe, although it rides on a separate platform and uses different powertrains. For 2005 editions there are two trims that follow designations for the coupe -- SXT and R/T. The Stratus SXT employs a four-cylinder engine with a four-speed automatic transaxle. The 2.4-liter plant with twin cams musters 150 hp.

The Stratus R/T denotes a tilt toward performance in a sport-tuned version with firmer suspension settings. It uses a 2.7-liter dual-cam V6 pegged at 200 hp. The SXT rolls on 16-inch aluminum wheels with standard equipment aboard like air conditioning, power door locks and power windows and a premium audio package with CD deck. A new Sport Appearance package for SXT applies chrome-clad wheels, a spoiler on the tail and Camelot instrument bezels. The R/T shows larger 17-inch aluminum wheels and tires, four-wheel ABS brakes with low-speed traction control system (TCS), fog lamps, a spoiler and a premium sound kit with six speakers.

The new large-size sports tourer from Dodge is cast on a new platform of large-car scale with a powerful engine mounted up front and all torque directed to the big back tires to mark the first rear-wheel-drive (RWD) car from the Dodge brand in nearly 20 years. Magnum carries an impressive collection of mechanical hardware to allow a vehicle of bold dimensions to act with the agility of a not-so-big machine tuned for sporty work. It also comes with a well-dressed passenger compartment set with two rows of seats for five and the appointments of a refined luxury car, yet the body resembles the shape of a station wagon that's slammed and skewed to a hip and sporty mode.

Dodge offers three different engines to propel Magnum through three trims tagged as a base SE, luxurious SXT and the performance model, Magnum RT. Price-leading Magnum SE packs a dual-cam 2.7-liter V6 that produces 190 hp. The Magnum SXT draws from a high-output V6 -- Chrysler's single-cam 3.5-liter six-pack that runs up to 250 hp. The Magnum RT scores Chrysler's Hemi engine with hemispheric combustion chambers. The Hemi 5.7-liter V8 makes 340 hp through an electronic automatic five-speed transmission teamed with the AutoStick. And it has a MDS (multi-displacement system) that can switch seamlessly and transparently to fuel-saving four-cylinder mode. Dodge adds another option to the Magnum line with an all-wheel-drive (AWD) system available for the Hemi V8 or 3.5-liter V6.